Identifying Dominant and Non-Dominant Images in a Burst Mode Capture

ABSTRACT

For cameras that capture several images in a burst mode, some embodiments of the invention provide a method that presents one or more of the captured images differently than the remaining captured images. The method identifies at least one captured image as dominant image and at least another captured image as a non-dominant image. The method then displays each dominant image different from each non-dominant image in a concurrent presentation of the images captured during the burst mode. The dominant images may appear larger than non-dominant images, and/or appear with a marking that indicates that the images are dominant.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/097,670, filed Dec. 5, 2013, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/829,990, filed May 31, 2013, whichare incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

With the advent of digital photography, a person no longer has to buyfilm to take pictures. In addition, the person does not have to take thefilm to a film developer, wait some time to have it processed, and thenreturn to the developer to finally look at the finished pictures.Nowadays, a person can just snap a picture with a digital camera andlook at the picture. If the person does not like the picture, he or shecan take another one. Also, people can take pictures with all kinds ofdevices. Examples of such devices include digital cameras, smart phones,tablets, laptops, etc.

The problem today is not so much about the convenience in takingpictures or the wait to have the pictures ready. Rather, it is more andmore about taking too many pictures. A person can have hundreds orthousands of pictures taken, however, sorting through those pictures andfinding a few pictures that the person actually likes is a lengthyprocess. This problem may get even worse because many devices are nowsupporting a continuous high-speed shooting mode. In this burst mode, acamera takes many still shots (e.g., tens or hundreds of shots) in onequick succession.

An easy solution to sorting through the vast number of pictures is todelete some or most of the pictures. However, people change their mindsall the time on what constitutes representative pictures. Therefore,deleting the undesired pictures at one time may subsequently lead toloss of potentially desired pictures at another time. Another solutionis to organize the pictures into different albums, but this solutionrequires a lot of time and effort, and yet at the end it could be veryhard to remember which pictures are in which albums.

BRIEF SUMMARY

For cameras that capture several images in a burst mode, someembodiments of the invention provide a method that presents one or moreof the captured images differently than the remaining captured images.The method identifies at least one captured image as a dominant imageand at least another captured image as a non-dominant image. The methodthen displays each dominant image different from each non-dominant imagein a concurrent presentation of the images captured during the burstmode. The dominant images may appear larger than non-dominant images,and/or appear with a marking that indicates that the images aredominant.

For several images captured in a single burst mode operation, the methodof some embodiments can designate multiple images as dominant imageswhile designating multiple other images as non-dominant images, and candisplay the dominant images differently than the non-dominant images inthe concurrent presentation. In some embodiments, the burst mode captureis presented on a touchscreen display of a mobile device. The method insome such embodiments receives a touch input on the touchscreen displayto designate an image as either a dominant or non-dominant image. Forinstance, the method may detect a single-finger or multi-finger tapgesture over an image on the touchscreen display and designate the imageas a dominant image in the burst mode sequence of images.

The image editing application of some embodiments designates an image ina group of images as dominant or non-dominant regardless of whether thegroup is a burst mode sequence. For instance, a user may classify animage that belongs to a collection (e.g., a camera roll) as the dominantimage of the collection. The collection then will be represented by thedominant image. In some embodiments, the user may classify not onlyimages that belong to different groups, but also the groups themselves.For instance, the user may classify a group of images, amongst severalother groups of images, as a dominant group. All different groups ofimages will then be represented by the dominant group.

The method of some embodiments presents a single composite image(thumbnail or larger sized image) to represent multiple images that arecaptured from an action sequence in a single burst mode. One example ofsuch an action sequence is a diver diving into a pool. The actionsequence might include (1) the diver standing at the podium, (2) thediver in the air, (3) the diver entering the water, and (4) the diverre-appearing on the surface of the water. For such a sequence, themethod might generate a single composite image that is created byblending together one image of the diver in each of the four stages ofthe action. In selecting images for the composite representation, themethod of some embodiments takes into account whether the images aredominant or non-dominant images.

The preceding Summary is intended to serve as a brief introduction tosome embodiments as described herein. It is not meant to be anintroduction or overview of all subject matter disclosed in thisdocument. The Detailed Description that follows and the Drawings thatare referred to in the Detailed Description will further describe theembodiments described in the Summary as well as other embodiments.Accordingly, to understand all the embodiments described by thisdocument, a full review of the Summary, Detailed Description and theDrawings is needed. Moreover, the claimed subject matters are not to belimited by the illustrative details in the Summary, Detailed Descriptionand the Drawings, but rather are to be defined by the appended claims,because the claimed subject matters can be embodied in other specificforms without departing from the spirit of the subject matters.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The novel features of the invention are set forth in the appendedclaims. However, for purposes of explanation, several embodiments of theinvention are set forth in the following figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of capturing a burst mode sequence ofimages.

FIG. 2 conceptually illustrates an example of how some embodimentspresent dominant images different from non-dominant images.

FIG. 3 conceptually illustrates an example of classifying images aseither dominant or non-dominant through touch input.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of how some embodiments present imagescaptured in a burst mode operation.

FIG. 5 illustrates another example of a concurrent presentation ofpictures captured during a single burst mode capture.

FIG. 6 illustrates another example of how some embodiments present aburst mode sequence of images on a mobile device.

FIG. 7 illustrates another example of presenting a burst mode sequenceon a mobile device.

FIG. 8 provides an illustrative example of presenting pictures in aburst mode sequence as a series of shapes.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of an animated view of several images in aburst mode sequence.

FIG. 10 illustrates another example view of a burst mode sequence.

FIG. 11 conceptually illustrates a process that some embodiments use todifferently present dominant and non-dominant images in a concurrentpresentation of a burst mode sequence.

FIG. 12 illustrates browsing through images in a collection.

FIG. 13 provides an illustrative example of using a different touchgesture to browse through images in a burst mode sequence.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example of searching for an image in a burst modesequence.

FIG. 15 provides an illustrative example of how the application of someembodiments keeps track of the browsing position in a burst modesequence.

FIG. 16 illustrates another example of browsing through images in aburst mode sequence using a mobile device.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example of flipping through burst mode images ina cover flow presentation.

FIG. 18 illustrates examples of classifying images through anaffordance.

FIG. 19 illustrates another example of classifying images through atouch gesture.

FIGS. 20A and 20B illustrate an example of using a first touch gestureto display a full screen representation of an image and using a seconddifferent touch gesture to classify the image.

FIG. 21 conceptually illustrates a process that some embodiments use toclassify images in a burst mode capture.

FIG. 22 illustrates an example of using a three-level classificationsystem to classify images in a burst mode sequence.

FIG. 23 illustrates an example of classifying images in a collection.

FIG. 24 conceptually illustrates how some embodiments generate acomposite image that features a dominant image more prominently thanother images.

FIG. 25 conceptually illustrates another example of how some embodimentsgenerate a composite image.

FIG. 26 conceptually illustrates the software architecture 2400 of amedia application of some embodiments.

FIG. 27 is an example of an architecture of a mobile computing device.

FIG. 28 conceptually illustrates another example of an electronic systemwith which some embodiments of the invention are implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description of the invention, numerousdetails, examples, and embodiments of the invention are set forth anddescribed. However, it will be clear and apparent to one skilled in theart that the invention is not limited to the embodiments set forth andthat the invention may be practiced without some of the specific detailsand examples discussed.

For cameras that capture several images in a burst mode, someembodiments of the invention provide a method that presents one or moreof the captured images differently than the remaining captured images.The method identifies at least one captured image as a dominant imageand at least another captured image as a non-dominant image. The methodthen displays each dominant image different from each non-dominant imagein a concurrent presentation of the images captured during the burstmode. The dominant images may appear larger than non-dominant images,and/or appear with a marking that indicates that the images aredominant.

For several images captured in a single burst mode operation, the methodof some embodiments can designate multiple images as dominant imageswhile designating multiple other images as non-dominant images, and candisplay the dominant images differently than the non-dominant images inthe concurrent presentation. In some embodiments, the burst mode captureis presented on a touchscreen display of a mobile device. The method insome such embodiments receives a touch input on the touchscreen displayto designate an image as either a dominant or non-dominant image. Forinstance, the method may detect a single-finger or multi-finger tapgesture over an image on the touchscreen display and designate the imageas a dominant image in the burst mode sequence of images.

In some embodiments, an application (e.g., a camera application,image-editing application) automatically designates one or more imagesin a burst mode sequence as dominant images. The application maydesignate images as dominant images based on different criteria. Forexample, a camera may capture a burst mode sequence where several of thepictures are blurry due to movement of objects and/or people theycontain. In such cases, the application may choose several pictures fromthe sequence based on their sharpness and their position along thesequence. That is, the application might select one picture that isleast blurry from the beginning of the sequence and select a few moresimilarly least blurry pictures from the middle and end of the sequence.Different from the application, the user may take a more subjectiveapproach in choosing one or more images over other images. For instance,the user may not only look at the sharpness of the images but may takeinto consideration other factors that make a set of one or more imagesthe user's dominant pick.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of capturing a burst mode sequence ofimages. Specifically, this figure illustrates in two operational stages105 and 110 how a mobile device 100 can be used to capture a series ofshots in a single burst mode operation. Here, a smart phone 100 is usedto capture the burst mode sequence. One of ordinary skill in the artwill realize that the discussion in this example as well as otherexamples hereinafter is equally applicable to other kinds of devicesthat are capable of taking pictures (e.g., a tablet, a camera, etc.) orany other electronic devices.

As shown, the device 100 has a touch-sensitive screen 115. The cameraapplication has been launched to place the mobile device in a cameramode. In this mode, the mobile device can be used to take pictures orvideos. The screen 115 displays a camera preview from a vantage point ofone of the device's cameras (e.g., front-facing or rear-facing camera).The camera application provides a number of affordances to modify thecamera settings. In the example shown in FIG. 1, most of the affordancesare arranged along the top and bottom bars 120 and 125 that overlay thecamera preview.

The top bar 120 includes one affordance for setting the camera flash toon, off, or automatic based on the lighting conditions. The otheraffordance in the top bar 120 is for switching from using therear-facing camera to the front-facing camera, or vice versa. The topbar 120 also includes an affordance to show other options to specifywhether the camera preview should show a grid, whether images should becaptured in high dynamic range (HDR), and/or whether to capture apanoramic image.

The bottom bar 125 shows several other affordances. It includes aselectable item to switch between taking pictures and video. The bottombar 125 also shows a thumbnail image of the last picture or a frame of avideo taken with the mobile device. In some embodiments, the cameraapplication allows the user to select the thumbnail image to display acollection (e.g., a virtual camera roll) of images and videos capturedwith the device. In addition, the camera application of some embodimentsallows the user to use several different touch gestures to set othersettings. For instance, the user can tap the screen 115 to autofocus ona portion of the scene that is shown at or near the tapped area. Theuser can perform another gesture (e.g., a pinch gesture) to set the zoomlevel. The gesture may in turn cause a zoom level slider to appear. Thecamera application may also allow the user to lock the exposure setting(e.g., aperture and shutter speed) and/or the auto-focus settings (e.g.,through a tap and hold operation).

The touchscreen 115 in FIG. 1 shows a visual indication 135 that theburst mode has been turned on. The camera application of someembodiments provides an affordance (e.g., along the top or bottom bar120 or 125) to turn on or off burst mode capture. The camera applicationmay also provide an affordance to specify the capture speed (e.g.,number of frames per second, high speed, low speed, etc.). One ofordinary skill in the art would understand that the visual indication135 is just an example indication and that there are numerous other waysto provide similar feedback.

Having described some features of the mobile device in camera mode, anexample of capturing a burst mode sequence will now be described byreference to the two stages 105 and 110 that are illustrated in FIG. 1.In the first stage 105, the mobile device 100 has been placed in thecamera mode to take pictures. The burst mode capture has been turned on.The rear camera is the active camera, and it is pointing towards ascene. The scene shows a person standing on a diving board that is readyto dive into a pool. This same scene is shown as a preview on thedevice's screen.

In the first stage 105, the user selects the camera affordance 130 tocapture a burst sequence of the scene. Specially, the user taps andholds the user's finger over the affordance until the desired actionshots are captured. Upon capturing the sequence of pictures, the cameraapplication of some embodiments allows the user to choose several of thepictures. Rather than retaining all the pictures, the camera applicationthen retains only those chosen pictures. This option is particularlyuseful when there are many images in a burst mode sequence.

The second stage 110 conceptually illustrates a sequence of picturescaptured with the device 100 during the burst mode operation. That is,it illustrates a number of pictures that were captured in successionwhile the burst mode feature was turned on and the affordance 130 washeld down by the user. The sequence 140 includes nine pictures. Thepictures generally show a person standing on a divining board, jumpingoff the diving board, entering the pool, and emerging from the pool.

As mentioned above, the application of some embodiments automaticallydesignates one or more pictures in a burst mode sequence as dominantpictures. In the example of FIG. 1, the camera application has chosenfour pictures (i.e., the second, fifth, seventh, and ninth pictures) asthe representative (dominant) ones in the burst mode sequence. Forillustrative purposes, each of the four chosen pictures is shown in thesecond stage 110 with a check mark. The application of some embodimentsmay have chosen these pictures because of their sharpness as compared toother pictures. Alternatively, the application of some other embodimentsmay choose these pictures based on their position along the sequence.Yet, in some other embodiments, the application may designate thesepictures in accord with user input.

Irrespective of how the dominant images are chosen, the applicationpresents the dominant images differently from the non-dominant images ina concurrent presentation. FIG. 2 conceptually illustrates an example ofhow some embodiments present dominant images different from non-dominantimages. This figure also introduces how a burst mode sequence of imagesis presented different from other images or video. Two successive stages205 and 210 of a presentation display area 200 are shown in this figure.In this example, the display area 200 can be any user-interface areathat displays a group of media items (e.g., images, video clips, audioclips, etc.).

The first stage 205 illustrates the display area 200 presentingthumbnail representations 215-230 of several images, including a burstmode sequence. The thumbnail images 215-225 are small representation offull-size images. Here, each of the thumbnails shows the whole image inaccordance with the image's aspect ratio. However, the thumbnails may bepresented all as square thumbnails, irrespective of the aspect ratio ofthe full-size images. The presentation display area 200 may also showthumbnail representations of video clips. Each video clip representationmay appear with a marking (e.g., a play button) to differentiate it froma still-image representation.

The application of some embodiments displays representations of burstmode sequences different from other representations. Different from astill image, the burst mode sequence is presented as a composite image.Specifically, thumbnails of several images in the burst sequence arestacked on top of each other as a stack of images. Any number ofthumbnails can be stacked on top of each other. In addition, the stackmay begin with the first image on top, followed by the next image, andso forth. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the sequence may be basedon location. For example, the stack of some such embodiments may beginwith the first image on top, jumping to a middle image in the sequence,and a last image, or a similar pattern depending on the number of imagesto show in the stack representation.

In some embodiments, the stack representation is generated by selectingdominant images from the burst mode sequence. For instance, the stackmay start with the first dominant image on top, then the next dominantimage, and so forth. This is shown in the first stage 205, as the topthumbnail image is not the first image in the burst mode sequence butthe first dominant image. Additional examples of generating a stackrepresentation will be described in detail below by reference to FIG.24.

In the first stage 205, the user selects the burst mode sequence bytapping the user's finger over the stack representation 230. As shown inthe second stage 210, the selection causes the images in the sequence140 to be shown in the display area 200. The second stage 210illustrates an example of concurrent presentation of the images of thesequence captured during the burst mode. This is just one examplepresentation. As will be described below, some embodiments presentimages in a burst mode presentation. The burst mode presentation can beplayed or scrubbed through similar to a slide show presentation or amovie presentation.

In the example of FIG. 2, the images are shown in sequence acrossmultiple rows, starting from the first captured image to the lastcaptured image. The images are shown as thumbnail images 235-275. Thisis one example of how some embodiments concurrently displays, in apresentation, thumbnail representations of the captured images (e.g., ina display area or a screen page). If all of the images from a singleburst mode sequence cannot be simultaneously displayed in one screenpage, the application of some embodiments concurrently displays some ofthe images and allows the user to scroll the page to view the remainingimages. In some embodiments, the selection of any one of the thumbnailrepresentations causes a full screen representation of the same image tobe displayed in the display area 200.

The second stage 210 also illustrates how some embodiments display eachrepresentative picture different from each non-representative(non-dominant) picture in the concurrent presentation. In particular,the representative pictures appear larger than non-representativepictures. For example, the second, fifth, seventh, and ninth thumbnails240, 255, 265, and 275 clearly appear larger than the remainingthumbnails 235, 245, 250, 260, and 270. Size is just an exampleconsideration that the application of some embodiments takes intoaccount when presenting dominant and non-dominant images. Alternatively,or conjunctively with the size, the application of some embodiments mayhighlight or mark dominant images in some manner to distinguish themfrom non-dominant images.

For any device with a touch-sensitive screen, the application of someembodiments allows a person to perform a touch gesture over an imageshown on the touchscreen to designate that image as a dominant ornon-dominant image. FIG. 3 conceptually illustrates an example ofclassifying images as either dominant or non-dominant through touchinput. Four stages 305-320 are shown in this figure. These stages are acontinuation of the ones shown in the previous figure.

The first stage 305 shows the concurrent presentation of the imagescaptured during the burst mode. The second, fifth, seventh, and ninththumbnails represent the dominant images in the burst mode, while theremaining thumbnails represent the non-dominant images. The first stage305 also shows the selection of a non-dominant image to classify it as adominant image. Specifically, the user selects the first thumbnail 235to designate the first image in the burst mode sequence as a dominantimage. The user selects the first image through a touch gesture bytapping the user's fingers on the touchscreen over the thumbnail image235. In this example, the touch gesture is a two-finger tap gesture.However, a single-finger or other multi-finger tap gestures or someother gestures can be used, in some embodiments.

The second stage 310 shows the display area 200 with the updatedpresentation of the images captured during the burst mode. The selectionof the thumbnail image 235 resulted in the first image being designatedas a dominant image. Accordingly, the first image is represented by anew thumbnail image 325. The new thumbnail image 325 has the same format(e.g., the same size, the same resolution, etc.) as thumbnail images ofother dominant images.

The third stage 315 illustrates the selection of a dominant image toreclassify it as a non-dominant image. Specifically, the user selectsthe second image through the same touch gesture by tapping the user'sfingers on the touchscreen over the thumbnail image 240. The fourthstage 320 shows the display area 200 with the updated presentation ofthe images captured during the burst mode. The selection of thethumbnail 240 resulted in the second image being designated as anon-dominant image. Accordingly, the second image is represented by anew thumbnail image 330. The new thumbnail image 330 has a size that isthe same or in the same format as thumbnail images of other non-dominantimages.

In the examples described above, the application presents dominantimages different from non-dominant images. Several additional exampleswill now be described by reference to FIGS. 4-17. These examplesillustrate how the presentation can vary from one device to anotherdevice in different embodiments. For instance, the dominant images mayappear larger than non-dominant images on one device of someembodiments, and/or appear with a marking or highlight that indicatesthat the images are dominant on another device of some otherembodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of how some embodiments present imagescaptured in a burst mode operation. In this example, the burst modesequence is presented on a tablet 400 having a touch-sensitive screen.Three operational stages 405-415 of the tablet are shown in this figure.The first stage 405 illustrates thumbnail representations of differentimages from a collection. The collection is a camera roll that displayspictures and/or videos taken with the tablet or alternatively taken byother devices and subsequently downloaded on the tablet. This is shownby the “Camera Roll” label that is on a top bar 420 that overlays thepresentation display area 401. The first stage 405 shows thumbnailrepresentations 425, 430, and 440 of still images captured with thedevice. Different from a still image, the burst mode sequence ispresented as a stack representation 435.

In the first stage 405, the user selects the burst mode sequence bytapping the user's finger over the stack representation 435. As shown inthe second stage 410, the selection causes the tablet to display (1) afull screen representation 450 of the first image in the sequence and(2) thumbnail representations of the images in the sequence.Specifically, the full screen representation of the first image is onthe display area 401, while the thumbnail representation are arrangedalong a bottom bar 455 (also referred to as a navigation bar) thatoverlays the display area. To provide a visual indication of the currentimage being shown on the display area 401, the thumbnail representation445 of the first image is highlighted on the bottom bar 455. Similar tothe example described above, the thumbnails of the dominant imagesappear larger than the thumbnails of the non-dominant images. The usercan select any one of the thumbnail images to display a full-screenrepresentation on the display area 401.

In addition to the bottom bar 455, a top bar 475 overlays the displayarea 401. The top bar shows a label that identifies the first of nineimages is being shown on the display area 401. The top bar also includesan affordance 480 to return to the previous view (i.e., the camera rollview), as illustrated in the first stage 405. In some embodiments, theuser can perform a touch gesture (e.g., tap the user's finger on thetouchscreen over the full screen representation 450) to show or hide thetop and bottom bars 475 and 435.

In the example of the second stage 410, the full screen representationis shown with a marking 485. Similar to the smaller size of thethumbnail image 445, the marking 485 provides a visual indication thatthe first image is a non-dominant image. The marking 485 is adirectional arrow pointing up; but it can be any other marking, symbol,and/or text that convey the same meaning. In some embodiments, themarking 485 is an affordance that when selected designates the displayedimage as a dominant or non-dominant image.

In the second stage 410, the user selects the fifth image from the burstmode sequence by tapping the user's finger on the touchscreen overthumbnail representation 465 on the bottom bar 455. As shown in thethird stage 415, the selection causes the thumbnail representation 465to be highlighted on the bottom bar and causes a full-screenrepresentation 470 to be shown on the display area 401. The fifth imageis one of the dominant images in the burst mode sequence. This is shownwith the larger size of the thumbnail image 465. This is also shown witha marking 490 that is displayed at least partially over the full screenrepresentation 470. Different from the marking 485, the marking 490 isan arrow that is pointing down. This down arrow provides the user with avisual indication that it can be selected to demote the dominant imageto a non-dominant image. As mentioned above, the marking is just one ofcountless number of markings, symbols, and/or texts that can be used toprovide the same or similar indication.

FIG. 5 illustrates another example of a concurrent presentation ofpictures captured during a single burst mode capture. Specifically, thisfigure shows that the presentation differentiates dominant andnon-dominant images by using a set of one or more markings. That is,rather than using different sizes, the thumbnail representation of eachdominant or suggested image is shown with a marking or visualindication.

Three operational stages 505-515 of the tablet 500 are shown in FIG. 5.These stages 505-515 are identical to the ones shown in the previousfigure. However, the thumbnail representations of the dominant images520-535 do not appear any larger than the thumbnail representations ofthe non-dominant images. Here, the dominant images appear with markings540-555. In this example, each marking is a colored dot, but the markingcould be any type of visual indication (e.g., an icon, text, symbol suchas a check mark) that indicates that the marked image is different froma non-marked image. Also, the marking is displayed below each thumbnailrepresentation of a suggested photo. Instead of below therepresentation, the marking can be displayed anywhere, such as over therepresentation, above or to the side of the representation, next to thename of the photo, etc.

In some embodiments, the marking changes appearance to inform a personthat the corresponding photo is a program-suggested photo, or auser-suggested photo. For example, the marking 540 of thumbnail image520 may change from one color to another when a person′ chooses thatimage as the user's pick or the user's specified dominant image. Otherexample of appearance change include changing the size of the marking,displaying a different icon or symbol, etc.

In some embodiments, the marking do not change in appearance; instead,it is displayed with another marking. For example, when a photo is bothmachine-suggested and user-suggested photo, then the photo may bedisplayed with multiple markings (e.g., one marking that identifies thephoto as machine-suggested photo and a different marking that identifiesthe photo as a user-suggested photo). In some embodiments, theapplication displays each dominant image from each non-dominant image bydisplaying the non-dominant image with a marking. As an example, eachnon-dominant image may appear with a particular marking thatdifferentiates the non-dominant image from each other dominant image,while each dominant image may appear with no marking or a differentmarking.

The next three figures provide examples of how some embodiments presenta burst mode sequence on a different type of mobile device, namely asmart phone. One of ordinary skill in the art would understand that theexamples described above and below can be combined in any number of waysto present the burst mode sequence on any type of device (e.g., a smartphone, tablet, smart television, etc.).

FIG. 6 illustrates a first example of how some embodiments present aburst mode sequence of images on a mobile device 600. Three operationalstages 605-615 of the mobile device 600 are shown in this figure. Thefirst stage 605 illustrates mobile device showing contents of acollection on its touchscreen. Similar to the last example, thecollection is a camera roll that displays pictures or videos taken withthe mobile device 600 or alternatively taken by other devices andsubsequently downloaded on the mobile device 600. To display this view,the user might have (1) selected an icon for photo application and (2)selected the camera roll from a list of albums. Alternatively, the usermight have launched the camera application to take pictures or video,and selected an affordance to view the camera roll.

In the first stage 605, the mobile device 600 displays several thumbnailimages. Here, one or more of the thumbnails may represent only a portionof an image. That is, the thumbnails in the thumbnail display area 650are all squares, irrespective of the aspect ratio of the correspondingfull-size images. In order to determine the portion of a rectangularimage to use for a thumbnail, the application may crop the smallerdimension of the image and use the center portion of the image in thelonger dimension.

In the example of the first stage 605, the burst mode sequence is shownas a square thumbnail representation rather than a stack representation.Specially, the burst mode sequence is represented by a single thumbnailimage. The application may choose the first image, the first dominantimage, or any other images from the sequence in different embodiments.For instance, the thumbnail image 620 may be a low-resolutionrepresentation of the first image, the first dominant image, or anyother image from the sequence in different embodiments.

Regardless of how the representative image is selected, the applicationpresents the thumbnail 620 of the burst sequence different fromthumbnails of still images or video clips. In some embodiments, theapplication marks the representation 620 in some manner to distinguishit from other representations. For example, the representation 620 isshown with a marking 660 that indicates the representation is a burstmode sequence. The marking 660 also includes a number that identifiesthe number of images in the burst mode sequence. Furthermore, theapplication provides a visual indication that one of the thumbnailsshown in the thumbnail display area 650 is for a burst mode sequence. Inparticular, the thumbnail display area is labeled with text 655 whichstates that there are three photos and one burst mode sequence (e.g., inthe camera roll).

In the first stage 605, the user selects the burst mode sequence bytapping the user's finger on the device's touchscreen display over thethumbnail representation 620. As shown in the second stage 610, theselection causes the mobile device 600 to display (1) a full screenrepresentation 640 of the first image in the sequence and (2) thumbnailrepresentations of the images in the sequence. Specifically, the imagesin the burst mode sequence are shown as thumbnails that are arrangedsequentially along a bar 630. The images are shown as square thumbnailsthat have the same size. To differentiate non-dominant and dominantimages, the application has highlighted thumbnails of the dominantimages so that they appear different from thumbnails of the non-dominantimages. The thumbnails are also shown with a location identifier 625.The location identifier moves along the bar to provide a visualindication of the current location in the sequence. That is, the usercan view the location identifier and quickly identity which full screenimage representation along the sequence is being shown on the device'stouchscreen. The bottom bar 665 includes several affordances to open thecamera, to share the displayed image, to play a slide show of the imagesin the sequence, and to delete the displayed image.

In the second stage 610, the user selects the fifth image from the burstmode sequence by tapping the user's finger on the touchscreen overthumbnail image 670 on the bar 630. The fifth image is one of thedominant images in the sequence. As shown in the third stage 615, theselection causes a full-screen representation 645 of the fifth image tobe shown on the touchscreen. The selection also causes the locationidentifier 625 to move along the bar 630 to the location of thethumbnail image 670. In some embodiment, the application displays a fullscreen representation with one or more markings to indicate that therepresentation is for a dominant image. This is shown in the third stage615 by highlighting the full screen representation 645 and a markingthat overlays the image. In this example, the marking is a text thatidentifies the displayed image as a dominant image.

In several of the examples described above, the burst mode is presentedas a series of thumbnail images. One drawback to this approach is that aburst mode sequence can contain many images. Due to the limited amountof screen space, it may not be possible to show all the thumbnail imagesin one view. One solution in some embodiments would be to show thethumbnails across multiple rows. However, this solution may furtherclutter the view with additional thumbnail images. A different approachin some other embodiments is to show some of the thumbnail images andallow the user to scroll across the thumbnail images. Instead of aseries of thumbnail images, the application of some embodiments providesone or more other controls to easily navigate through images in a burstmode sequence.

FIG. 7 illustrates another example of presenting a burst mode sequenceon a mobile device 700. Three operational stages 705-715 of the mobiledevice 700 are shown in this figure. These stages are similar to theprevious figure. However, instead of series of thumbnail images, theapplication provides a slider affordance to navigate through the imagesin the sequence. Specifically, the application provides a slider bar 720with a handle 725 (e.g., a position indicator) that can be selected andmoved to display a particular image from the sequence. The applicationalso provides an affordance 730 (e.g., a play button) to start a slideshow starting with the current image as indicated by the handle 725along the slider bar 720.

In the first stage 705, the user selects the burst mode representation735 from the display area 740. As shown in the second stage 710, theselection causes a full screen representation 745 of the first image tobe shown on the screen. The selection also causes the slider to appear.The handle 725 is located at the left-hand end of the slider bar 720.This provides a visual indication that the full screen representation745 is a representation of the first image.

In the second stage 710, the user selects the handle 725 by placing theuser's finger over it on the touchscreen display. To display anotherimage, the user then performs a touch gesture by dragging the user'sfinger across the touchscreen display over the slider bar 720, which inturn causes the handle 725 to move along the bar. The touchscreendisplay then successively displays one or more other images from thesequence in accord with the movement of the handle.

The third stage 715 illustrates that the handle 725 has been moved toabout the middle position on the slider bar 720. Accordingly, thetouchscreen display presents the image along the sequence thatcorresponds to that position. The full screen representation 755 of thecurrent image is overlaid by a marking 750. The marking is a check markthat provides a visual indication that the current image is a dominantimage in the burst mode sequence.

The previous example illustrates how some embodiments allow a person tonavigate between images in a burst mode sequence through a slider orscrubber. In conjunction with such affordance, or instead of it, theapplication of some embodiments provides a series of selectable itemsthat represents different images in a burst mode sequence. FIG. 8provides an illustrative example of how each image can be represented asa geometric shape.

Three operational stages 805-815 of the mobile device 800 are depictedin FIG. 8. These stages 805-815 are similar to the previous figure;however, the burst mode pictures are represented by a group of shapes.In this example, the group of shapes are a series of lines 820 (e.g.,thin lines) that spans across the lower portion of the device'stouch-screen. Each line represents one picture in the burst modesequence (e.g., starting from the left with the first captured pictureand ending with the last captured picture). Each line can also beselected to display the corresponding picture. In some embodiments, thesize of each shape can change depending on the number of pictures in aburst mode sequence. As an example, each shape will be progressivelyshorter in length when there are more pictures in the burst modesequence. Alternatively, the shapes can be the same size but shown in ascrollable area so that a person can scroll the area and choosedifferent pictures in the sequence.

To differentiate suggested pictures from non-suggested pictures, eachshape for a dominant image may be shown with a marking. This is shown inthe second and third stages 810 and 815 of FIG. 8 because each line thatrepresents a dominant image is shown with a marking 825. Here, themarking is a colored dot, but the marking could be any type of visualindication (e.g., an icon, text, symbol such as a check mark) thatindicates the corresponding shape represents a dominant or suggestedphoto. Also, the marking is displayed below each shape for a suggestedphoto. Instead of below the shape, the marking can be displayedanywhere, such as over the shape, above or to the side of the shape,etc. In addition, the application of some embodiments does not show anymarking but displays different shapes for different types of pictures.For example, each line item may be colored differently based on whetherthe line represents a program-suggested photo, a user-suggested photo,or a non-suggested photo.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the first stage 805, the user selects the burstmode representation 835 from the display area 840. As shown in thesecond stage 810, the selection causes a full screen representation 845of the first image to be shown on the screen. The selection also causesthe series of lines 820 to appear (e.g., below and/or over the lowerportion of the full screen representation. The user selects the fifthline 860 in the series. This line 860 represents the fifth image in theburst mode sequence. The selection causes a thumbnail representation 865of the fifth image to appear. In some embodiments, the thumbnailrepresentation only appears when the user touches and holds the user'sfinger on the device's touch screen over the line and disappears whenthe finger is released. The user can drag his or her finger across thetouch screen over different line items to display representation ofother images in the sequence. During that time, the full-screenrepresentation may not change unless the user commits to a photo byreleasing the user's finger over the corresponding line.

In the second stage 810, the user selects the line 860. The third stage815 illustrates that the selection has resulted in the display of thefull screen representation 855 of the fifth image.

In some embodiments, the application generates an animated presentationof images in a burst mode sequence. Several examples of such an animatedpresentation will now be described by reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG.9 illustrates a first example of an animated view of several images in aburst mode sequence. Two stages 905 and 910 of a presentation displayarea 900 are shown in this figure. The presentation display area 900 canbe any user-interface area that displays a group of media items (e.g.,images, video clips, audio clips, etc.).

The first stage 905 illustrates the presentation display area withthumbnail representations of different images, including a burst modesequence. Different from several of the previous examples, the burstmode sequence is presented as a composite thumbnail image 915.Specifically, thumbnails of several images in the burst sequence areshown next to each other. Any number of thumbnails can be composited togenerate the composite representation in different embodiments. Inaddition, the composite may begin with the first image on the left,followed by the next image to the right, and so forth in someembodiments. In addition, the size of the thumbnail images can also varyin different embodiments. Several examples of generating a compositerepresentation will be described below by reference to FIG. 22.

In the first stage 905 of the figure, the presentation display area 900displays thumbnail representations of different images, including aburst mode sequence. The user selects the burst mode sequence by tappingthe user's finger on the composite representation 915. As shown in thesecond stage 910, the selection causes the presentation display area 900to display several of the images in the sequence in a particular manner.Specifically, five of the nine images in this stage are presented in athree-dimensional cover flow view 920. In this view, the applicationpresents one center image while several of the other images are shown onthe side. The side images are presented at an angle to simulate athree-dimensional view. In some embodiments, the user can interact withthe view 920 to change the center image. For example, the user can flickor brush the user's finger on the surface of the touchscreen over thecurrent image to flip through the images in the sequence.

In the example illustrated in the second stage 910, the applicationpresents dominant images different from non-dominant images. Thedominant images are highlighted in the view, while the non-dominantimages are not highlighted. In addition, each of the images is shownwith a marking that provides a visual indication that the image is adominant image. In this example, each dominant image is shown with onemarking (e.g., a closed circle), while each non-dominant image is shownwith another marking (e.g., open circle). One of ordinary skill in theart would understand that the open and closed circle is just one ofvarious different ways to convey that a picture is a program-suggestedpicture, a user-suggested picture, or a non-suggested picture. Othertypes of marking discussed above include check marks, arrows, coloredshapes (e.g., circles), symbols, text, etc.

FIG. 10 illustrates another example view of a burst mode sequence. Twostages 1005 and 1010 of a presentation display area 1000 are shown inthis figure. This figure is similar to the previous example. However,the application presents a three-dimensional view of the images thatrotates in a circular pattern. In this view, when the last image in thesequence is the center image, the next center image is the first image.Further, if the view is rotated in the opposite direction (e.g.,counter-clockwise direction) and the center image is the first image,then the next center image is the last image from the sequence. Sincethe view rotates in a circular pattern like a carousel, it will bereferred to as a carousel view hereinafter.

In the first stage 1005, the presentation display area 1000 displaysrepresentations of thumbnail representations of different images,including a burst mode sequence. The user selects the burst modesequence by tapping the user's finger on the composite representation1015. As shown in the second stage 1010, the selection causes thepresentation display area 1000 to display a carousel view 1020. The viewshows that the images are arranged in a circular pattern. The view alsopresents the dominant images different from the non-dominant images.Specifically, the dominant images appear larger than the non-dominantimages even though they are further away from the center of the viewthan the non-dominant images.

In many of the examples described above, the application of someembodiments displays dominant imaged different from non-dominant imagesin a presentation of images captured during a single burst mode capture.The dominant images may be application suggested (e.g., automaticallysuggested) pictures or those suggested by the application's user. Insome embodiments, the application provides one or more affordances thatallow a person to choose whether to keep only images selected by theapplication, only images selected by the user, and/or any all selectedimages (e.g., selected by the application and the user). As an example,upon taking burst mode sequence pictures, the application may suggestseveral pictures from the sequence and display each suggested picturewith a marking. Optionally, the user can modify the application'ssuggestions and chooses other pictures to be the dominant or suggestedpictures. When the suggestions have been reviewed, the user can thenselect an option to keep only the suggested picture and delete theremaining pictures, in some embodiments.

Having described several examples of presenting dominant imagesdifferent from non-dominant images, an example process will now bedescribed. FIG. 11 conceptually illustrates a process 1100 that someembodiments use to differently present dominant and non-dominant imagesin a concurrent presentation of a burst mode capture. The process 1100in some embodiments is performed by an application (e.g., a cameraapplication, a picture and video editing application, etc.) thatexecutes on a computing device (e.g., a smart phone, tablet, laptop,etc.).

As shown in FIG. 11, the process 1100 begins (at 1105) when it receivesinput to display images captured during a burst mode operation. Inseveral of the examples described above, the application allows a userto choose a burst mode sequence by selecting its representation (e.g.,thumbnail representation). The process 1100 then identifies (at 1110) alist of images in the burst mode capture. In some embodiments, theprocess 1100 maintains a database of media items (e.g., videos, images,audios) and/or different collections (e.g., albums, burst modesequences). The database may be used to organize the media items and/orassociate them with different metadata (dominant tag, non-dominant tag,ranking, etc.). The database may also contain a link to each actualmedia item (e.g., media data file).

After identifying a list of images, the process 1100 initially selects(at 1115) a next image from the list. The process 1100 then determines(at 1120) whether the selected image is a dominant image. If not, theprocess 1100 proceeds to 1130, which is described below. If the selectedimage is a dominant image, the process 1100 specifies a first appearancefor the dominant image. In some embodiments, the process 1100 mayspecify that the dominant image be sized differently than thenon-dominant images. Alternatively or conjunctively with the size, thedominant image may appear with a marking (e.g., text, symbol, and/oricon) or may be highlighted to indicate the dominance of the image.

At 1130, the process 1100 specifies a different appearance for thenon-dominant image. Here, the process 1100 may not perform any functionand present the non-dominant image using the default presentationspecification. The process 1100 then determines (at 1135) whether thereare any more images in the burst mode capture. If there are, the process1100 returns to 1115, which is described above. Otherwise, the process1100 generates (at 1140) a concurrent presentation of the images in theburst mode sequence by presenting each image according to its specifiedfirst or second appearance. The process 1100 then ends.

Some embodiments perform variations of the process 1100. The specificoperations of the process may not be performed in the exact order shownand described. The specific operations may not be performed in onecontinuous series of operations, and different specific operations maybe performed in different embodiments. In addition, one of ordinaryskill in the art would understand that the various embodiments describedabove are not necessarily mutually exclusive combinations of featuresand can be combined in different ways. For example, anyone of theanimated views can be combined with an affordance (e.g., a scrubber orslider) to navigate through images in a burst mode sequence. As anotherexample, the presentation of the burst mode sequence can vary from onetype of device to another (e.g., a smart phone to a tablet) or may bethe same across the different types of devices. In other words, theembodiments are not mutually exclusive combinations of features; rather,the invention may include a different combinations of individualfeatures selected from different individual embodiments, as understoodby persons of ordinary skill in the art.

In some embodiments, the application allows its user to browse throughimages in a burst mode. On devices with a touchscreen display, theapplication of some embodiments allows a person to perform a touchgesture to browse through images in a burst mode sequence. The personcan also switch from browsing burst mode images to browsing a collectionof other images by performing a different touch gesture. Several suchexamples will now be described below by reference to FIGS. 12-17.

FIG. 12 illustrates browsing through images in a collection.Specifically, it illustrates an example touch gesture that can beperformed on a mobile device's touchscreen display to browse images. Inthis example, the mobile device is a tablet 1200. Four operationalstages 1205-1220 are shown in this figure.

The first stage 1205 shows the screen displaying several thumbnailrepresentations of images from a collection. Here, the collection is acamera roll that includes pictures and videos captured with the tablet1200. In the first stage, the user selects the second image by tappingthe user's finger on the touchscreen display over the second thumbnailrepresentation 1225. The selection causes the touchscreen to display afull screen representation 1230 of the second image, as illustrated inthe second stage 1210.

In the second stage 1210, the user performs a touch gesture to browse toa next image in the collection. More particularly, the user performs aswipe gesture by placing the user's finger on the touchscreen andswiping towards its left-hand side, similar to flipping a page of abook. The user can swipe the finger in the opposite direction to displaythe previous image. When the last image is shown on the touchscreen, theuser input to display the next image may result in the first image beingdisplayed. Similarly, when the first image is displayed, the user inputto display the previous image may result in the display of the lastimage.

The third stage 1215 illustrates the tablet 1200 after the user hasperformed the touch gesture to display the next image. As the next imageis a group of images in a burst mode sequence, the touchscreen displaysa full screen representation 1245 of the first image from the burst modesequence. The full screen representation is shown with a marking 1250that indicates that the first image is a representative (dominant)image. Thumbnail representations of the images in the burst modesequence are also shown along a navigation bar 1255 in the third stage.The user can select anyone of the thumbnail representations to displayits corresponding full screen representation on the touchscreen display.

As shown in the third stage 1215, the user performs the same touchgesture as mentioned above to browse to the next image. The fourth stage1220 illustrates that touch input did not cause the application topresent the second image from the burst mode sequence. Rather, the touchinput caused the application to present the next image from thecollection. Specifically, a full screen representation 1240 of thefourth image of the collection is now shown on the touchscreen display.

The previous example illustrated how one touch gesture can be reservedfor browsing through images in a collection. This is important becausepeople may want to use a single gesture to browse through images in acollection and not necessarily drill down to browse through images in asub-collection (e.g., a burst mode sequence). In order to browse throughthe images of a burst mode sequence at the same time, the application ofsome embodiments allows a user to perform one touch gesture to browsethrough images in a collection and another different touch gesture tobrowse through images in a sub-collection. FIG. 13 provides anillustrative example of using a different touch gesture to browsethrough images in a burst mode sequence. Three operational stages1305-1315 of a tablet are shown in this figure.

The first stage 1305 illustrates the tablet displaying the full screenrepresentation 1235 of the first image from the burst mode sequence onits touchscreen display. Thumbnail representations of the images in theburst mode sequence are shown along the navigation bar 1255. Thethumbnail representation of the first image is also highlighted on thenavigation bar 1255. The highlight provides a visual feedback that thecurrent full screen representation is that of the first image.

In the first stage 1305, the user performs a touch gesture on thetablet's touchscreen display to display the next image in the sequence.Specifically, the user performs a multi-finger swipe gesture by placingat least two fingers on the touchscreen and swiping them towards itsleft-hand side. The user can swipe the fingers in the opposite directionto display the previous image. When the last image in the sequence isshown, the user input to display the next image may result in thedisplay of the first image in the sequence. Similarly, when the firstimage is shown, the user input to display the previous image may resultin the display of the last image in the sequence.

The second stage 1310 illustrates the touch input has resulted in thedisplay of the next image. Specifically, a full screen representation1320 of the second image is shown on the touchscreen display. The touchinput has also caused the thumbnail representation 1325 of the secondimage to be highlighted on the navigation bar 1255. In the third stage1315, the user performs the same touch gesture to display the nextimage. As shown in the third stage 1315, the input causes thetouchscreen to display a full screen representation 1330 of the thirdimage from the sequence and causes the thumbnail representation 1335 ofthat same image to be highlighted on the navigation bar 1255.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example of searching for an image in a burst modesequence. This example is similar to the previous example. However, thebrowsing or searching is started relative to a selected image in theburst mode sequence. That is, the user first selects a thumbnailrepresentation that corresponds to an image, and then browses throughthe sequence starting with that image. Four operational stages 1405-1420of the tablet 1200 are shown in FIG. 14.

The first stage 1405 illustrates the tablet 1200 displaying the fullscreen representation 1235 of the first image from the burst modesequence on its touchscreen display. The first image is the firstdominant image in the sequence. In the second stage 1410, the userselects the last dominant image in the burst mode by tapping the user'sfinger on the thumbnail representation 1425. The selection causes thetablet's screen to display a full screen representation 1430 of the lastdominant image.

The third stage 1415 illustrates browsing from the last dominant image.The user performs a touch gesture on the tablet's touchscreen display todisplay a previous image. Specifically, the user performs a multi-fingerswipe gesture by placing at least two fingers on the touchscreen andswiping them towards the right-hand side of the touch screen. As shownin the fourth stage 1420, the input has resulted in the screendisplaying a full screen representation 1445 of the previous image inthe sequence.

When browsing through a burst mode sequence, the application of someembodiments keeps track of the current position along the sequence. Forinstance, a user might start browsing through images in a burst modesequence with a device and then perform some other tasks. Theapplication maintains the position of the image that was shown last onthe device before performing the other tasks. When the user returns tobrowsing the sequence, the application then displays the same last shownimage. This is so that the user can continue the browsing session ratherthan restarting it from the first image. FIG. 15 provides anillustrative example of how the application of some embodiments keepstrack of the browsing position for a burst mode sequence.

The first stage 1505 of the figure illustrates the tablet 1200displaying the full screen representation 1235 of the first image in theburst mode sequence on its touchscreen display. To display the lastimage in the sequence, the user performs a touch gesture on the tablet'stouchscreen display. Specifically, the user performs a multi-fingerswipe gesture by placing at least two fingers on the touchscreen andswiping them towards the right-hand side of the screen. As shown in thesecond stage 1510, the user input resulted in the display of a fullscreen representation 1525 of the last image in the sequence.

The second stage 1510 illustrates switching from browsing the images inthe sequence to browsing pictures and/or videos in the camera roll. Theuser performs a different touch gesture on the touchscreen display toshow the next image in the collection. In particular, the user performsa single finger swipe gesture by placing the user's finger on thetouchscreen and swiping it towards the left-hand side of the screen. Asshown in the third stage 1515, the touch input has caused the tablet'sscreen to display a full screen representation 1530 of the next image inthe image collection of the camera roll.

In the third stage 1515, the user performs a similar touch gesture todisplay a previous image. Specifically, the user performs a singlefinger swipe gesture by placing the user's finger on the touchscreen andswiping it in the opposite direction from one shown in the previousstage 1510. The fourth stage 1520 illustrates that the input has causedthe screen to display the same full screen representation 1525 of thelast image in the burst mode sequence. That is, the application hasmaintained the browsing history relating to the sequence so that theuser does not have to restart browsing from the first image in thesequence.

FIG. 16 illustrates another example of browsing through images in aburst mode sequence using a mobile device 1600. The mobile device ofthis example is a smart phone. One of ordinary skill in the art willrealize that the discussion in this example as well as other exampleshereinafter is equally applicable to other kinds of devices that arecapable of taking pictures (e.g., a tablet, a camera, etc.) or any otherelectronic devices. Three operational stages 1605-1615 of the mobiledevice are shown in this figure.

The first stage 1605 illustrates the mobile device 1600 displaying afull screen representation 1615 of the first image in the burst modesequence on its touchscreen display. The full screen representation isoverlaid by a slider affordance, which was described above by referenceto FIG. 6. The application provides a slider bar 1630 with a handle 1635(e.g., a position indicator) that can be selected and moved to display aparticular image from the sequence.

One of the benefits of such a navigation affordance is that the user canquickly browse through many images. That is the user does not have toperform multiple gestures to browse through images, namely a separategesture for showing each next or previous image. For example, the usercan select the handle 1635 by placing the user's finger over it on thetouchscreen display. To quickly scrub through all the images insuccession, the user then performs a touch gesture by dragging theuser's finger across the touchscreen display over the slider bar 1630from one end to the other end. The browsing speed here is relative tofinger movement speed across the touchscreen display.

As shown in the first stage 1605, the user selects the handle 1635 toquickly scrub through the images in the burst mode sequence. The secondstage 1610 illustrates that the navigation affordance was used to browseto the second to last image 1620. The user performs a touch gesture onthe touchscreen display to display the last image in the sequence.Specifically, in the second stage, the user performs a multi-fingerswipe gesture by placing at least two fingers on the touchscreen andswiping them towards the left-hand side of the screen. As shown in thethird stage 1615, the input has resulted in the mobile device displayinga full screen representation 1625 of the last image in the burst modesequence.

As mentioned above, the application of some embodiments generates ananimated presentation of images in a burst mode sequence. FIG. 17illustrates an example of flipping through burst mode images in a coverflow presentation 1715. Two stages 1705 and 1710 of a presentationdisplay area 1700 are shown in this figure. The cover flow presentation1715 is the same as the one described above by reference to FIG. 9.

The first stage illustrates the example cover flow presentation 1715. Asshown, the presentation display area 1700 displays one center image 1720while several of the other images are shown on its side. The side imagesare presented at an angle to simulate a three-dimensional view. In someembodiments, the user can interact with the presentation 1715 to changethe center image. For example, the user can flick or brush the user'sfinger on the surface of the touchscreen over the current image 1700 todisplay the next image.

The first and second stages 1705 and 1710 illustrate another example ofhow the user can interact with the presentation 1715 to browse throughthe images. Instead of performing a swipe gesture on the center image1720, in the first stage 1705, the user places the user's finger overone of the dominant images (i.e., the second image 1725). The user thenmoves the finger towards the center image 1720 to make the selectedimage the center image. As shown in the second stage 1710, the image1720 has moved to the side as the result of the input, while thedominant image 1725 is brought to the forefront as the new center image.In some embodiments, the application allows the user to select an imageto bring it to the forefront. That is, instead of the user selecting anddragging the image, the user can simply select the center image (e.g.,by tapping the user's finger on the image).

For several images captured in a single burst mode operation, theapplication of some embodiments allows a person to designate images aseither dominant or non-dominant images. For any device with atouchscreen, the application in some such embodiments allows the personto perform a touch gesture over an image shown on the touchscreen todesignate that image as a dominant or non-dominant image. Severalexamples of classifying images will now be described below by referenceto FIGS. 18-23.

FIG. 18 illustrates examples of classifying images through anaffordance. Five stages 1805-1825 of a mobile device 1800 are shown inthis figure. The first stage 1805 illustrates the device's screendisplaying a full screen representation 1830 of the fifth image from theburst mode sequence. The fifth image in the sequence is a dominantimage. This is indicated by (1) the thumbnail representation 1835 thatis larger than the thumbnail representations of the non-dominant images.This is also indicated by a marking 1845 (e.g., a down arrow) thatindicates that the image can be lowered in rank to a non-dominant image.

In some embodiments, the marking 1845 is an affordance that can be usedto reclassify an image. For example, in the first stage 1805, the userselects the affordance by tapping the user's finger over it on thedevice's touchscreen display. The second stage 1810 illustrates thefifth image after it has been demoted to a non-dominant image. As shown,the representation is shown with a different marking 1850 (e.g., an uparrow) that indicates that the fifth image can be promoted to a dominantimage again. The representation 1835 has been replaced with alower-resolution version 1855 that is sized the same as the thumbnailrepresentations of other non-dominant images.

In the third stage 1815, the user selects a thumbnail representation1860 of the sixth image. The selection causes a full screenrepresentation 1865 of the sixth image to be shown on the device'sscreen. The full screen representation 1865 is shown with the marking1850 that indicates that the sixth image can be promoted to a dominantimage.

In the fourth stage 1820, the user selects the marking 1850 to make thesixth image a dominant image. The fifth stage 1825 illustrates the sixthimage after it has been promoted to a dominant image. As shown, therepresentation 1865 is now shown with the marking 1845 that indicatesthat the sixth image can be demoted back to a non-dominant image. Thesixth image is also represented by a thumbnail 1870 that is sized thesame as the thumbnails of other dominant images.

FIG. 19 illustrates examples of classifying images through a touchgesture. Four operational stages 1905-1920 of a mobile device 1900 areshown in this figure. The first stage 1905 illustrates the device'sscreen displaying a full screen representation 1925 of an image from aburst mode sequence. The image is a dominant image. This is shown by amarking 1930 that indicates that the displayed image is a chosen image.

The first stage 1905 shows the selection of the dominant image toclassify it as a non-dominant image. The user selects the full screenrepresentation 1925 to designate the image as a non-dominant image. Inparticular, the user performs a touch gesture by tapping the user'sfingers on the touchscreen over the full screen representation 1925.Here, the touch gesture is a multi-finger tap gesture. However, asingle-finger tap gesture or some other gestures can be used, in someembodiments.

The second stage 1910 illustrates the device after designating the imageas a non-dominant image. As shown, the image is no longer displayed withthe marking 1930. This lack of marking provides the user with a visualindication that the displayed image is not a dominant image. In thesecond stage 1910, the user then uses the affordance 1935 to navigate toanother image in the sequence.

The third stage 1915 illustrates the device's screen displaying a fullscreen representation 1940 of another image from a burst mode sequence.The image is a non-dominant image. To designate the image as a dominantimage, the user performs the same touch gesture by tapping the user'sfingers over the full screen representation 1940. As shown in the fourthstage 1920, the user input has resulted in the image being classified asa dominant image. This is shown with the marking 1930 that indicatesthat the displayed image is a dominant image.

The previous example illustrated how one touch gesture can be reservedfor classifying an image in a burst mode sequence. In particular, theuser performs a multi-finger tap gesture to classify the image. Onereason for using such a multi-finger gesture is that the single-fingertap gesture can be used to perform a different function. FIGS. 20A and20B illustrate an example of using a first touch gesture to display afull screen representation of an image and using a second differenttouch gesture to classify the image in a burst mode sequence.

FIG. 20A provides an illustrative example of using a first touch gestureto display a full screen representation of an image in a burst modesequence. Two stages 2005 and 2010 are illustrated in this figure. Thisfigure includes a display area 2000 that displays an animatedpresentation of the images in a burst mode sequence. The same animatedpresentation has been described above by reference to FIG. 8.

The first stage 2005 illustrates the display area 2000 displayingrepresentations of the images from a burst mode sequence in a carouselview. The user selects the center image by tapping the user's one fingeron its representation 2025. As shown in the second stage 2010, the touchinput causes a full screen representation 2030 of that same image to beshown on the display area 2000.

FIG. 20B provides an illustrative example of using a second differenttouch gesture to classify the image as a dominant image. Two stages 2015and 2020 are illustrated in this figure. The first stage 2015illustrates the display area 2000 displaying representations of theimages from the burst mode sequence in the carousel view. The userselects the center image to classify it as dominant image. Specifically,the user selects the image through a multi-touch gesture by tapping theuser's two fingers on the representation 2025. The second stage 2020illustrates that the touch input resulted in the image being classifiedas a dominant image. The classification of the image is conceptuallyillustrated by a text 2035 that is shown over the representation 2025.

Having described several examples of designating images as dominant ornon-dominant images, an example process will now be described. FIG. 21conceptually illustrates a process 2100 that some embodiments use toclassify images in a burst mode capture. The process 2100 in someembodiments is performed by an application (e.g., a camera application,a picture and video editing application) that executes on a computingdevice (e.g., a smart phone, tablet, laptop, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 21, the process 2100 begins (at 2105) when it receivesinput to display images captured during a burst mode operation. Theprocess 2100 then generates (at 2110) a presentation of the images in aburst mode capture. An example of a process for generating such apresentation has been described above by reference to FIG. 9. Forexample, the process 2100 might generate a presentation that displaysthe dominant and non-dominant images differently.

At 2115, the process 2100 determines whether a user input has beenreceived to designate an image. In some embodiments, the process 2100might continue to monitor for such user input. The process 2100 mayreceive one or more other inputs than to designating an image, such asan input to display a full screen representation of the image. When thedetermination is made that a designating input has been received, theprocess 2100 determines (at 2125) whether the selected image is adominant image. If it is not, the process 2100 proceeds to 2135, whichis described below. If the selected image is a dominant image, theprocess 2100 designates (at 2130) the image as a non-dominant image. Theprocess 2100 then changes (at 2140) the appearance of the image inaccord with the designation.

When the determination is made that the image is a non-dominant image,the process 2100 designates (at 2135) the image as a dominant image.Similar to above, the process 2100 then changes (at 2140) the appearanceof the image in accord with the designation. The process 2100 thendetermines (at 2145) whether to hide or close the presentation. If theprocess determines to hide or close the presentation, the process 2100ends. Otherwise, the process 2100 returns to 2115, which is describedabove.

Some embodiments perform variations of the process 2100. The specificoperations of the process may not be performed in the exact order shownand described. The specific operations may not be performed in onecontinuous series of operations, and different specific operations maybe performed in different embodiments. In addition, one of ordinaryskill in the art would understand the various embodiments describedabove are not necessarily mutually exclusive combinations of featuresand can be combined in different ways.

In many of the examples described above, the application classifies orallows a person to classify images in a burst mode sequence as eitherdominant or non-dominant images. In some embodiments, the applicationclassifies images or allows a person to classify images using adifferent classification system. This classification system can includeany number of hierarchical levels. For example, the application mightallow its user to rank or grade each image following a particular scale(e.g., A-F, 1-3, 1-4, 1-10, etc.).

FIG. 22 illustrates an example of using a three-level classificationsystem to classify images in a burst mode sequence. Three stages of apresentation display area 2200 are shown in this figure. The first stage2205 illustrates the display area 2200 displaying representations2220-2235 of the images from a burst mode sequence. Each representationis displayed with one or more markings (2240 or 2245). In this example,each marking has plus and/or minus sign that indicate whether an imagecan be ranked higher or lower, respectively. The size of eachrepresentation also indicates the ranking of the corresponding image.For instance, the first image is shown with the largest representation2220. The third image is shown with a representation 2230 that issmaller than the representations 2220 of the first image but larger thanthe representations 2225 and 2235 of the second and fourth images.

The first stage 2205 shows the selection of the marking 2240 with theminus sign to lower the image's ranking. Specifically, the user performsa touch gesture by tapping the user's finger on the marking 2240. In thesecond stage 2210, the first image has been reclassified as amiddle-tier image. This is shown with the representation 2020 that hasbeen resized to the same size as the representation 2230 of the thirdimage. As the first image can now be promoted to a higher rank, themarking 2245 appears over its representation.

The second stage 2210 shows the selection of the marking 2240 with theminus sign to lower the image's ranking even more. In the third stage2215, the first image has been reclassified as a lower-tier image. Thisis shown with the representation 2220 that has been resized to the samesize as the representations 2225 and 2235 of the second and fourthimages. As the first image cannot be demoted to any lower rank, therepresentation is shown in the display area 2200 without the marking2240.

In some embodiments, the image application allows users to classify anygroup of images regardless of whether the group is a burst modesequence. The application of some such embodiments allows users toclassify not only images but also different groups. FIG. 23 illustratesan example of classifying images in a collection. The figure alsoillustrates classifying different groups to create a super group. Fiveoperational stages 2305-2325 of a mobile device 2300 are shown in thisfigure.

The first stage 2305 illustrates the tablet displaying thumbnailrepresentations of four images in a group. In this example, the group isan album entitled “Vacation”. To designate the fourth image as arepresentative image in the album, the user selects the fourth image bytapping the user's fingers on the thumbnail representation 2330. Asshown in the second stage 2310, the selection resulted in a marking 2340being displayed over the thumbnail representation 2330. The marking 2340provides a visual indication that the fourth image is a representativeimage in the album.

In the second stage 2310, the user selects an affordance 2335 (e.g., analbum button) to show all lists of albums. The selection causes thetablet 2300 to display two existing albums 2345 and 2350 on itstouchscreen display. Each of the two albums is shown with a cover image.Similar to a burst mode sequence representation, the application maypresent a representative image more prominently than anon-representative image. For example, the “Vacation” album's coverimage is the same image that was designated as the representative imagein the previous stage 2310.

In addition to images, the application of some embodiments allows usersto classify different groups. An example of this is shown in the thirdstage 2315. To designate the “Sports” album as a representative album,the user selects the album by tapping the user's fingers on the albumrepresentation 2350. As shown in the fourth stage 2320, the selectionresulted in the marking 2340 being displayed over the albumrepresentation 2350. The marking 2340 provides a visual indication thatthe corresponding album is a representative or dominant album in thegroup of albums. In the fourth stage 2320, the user selects anaffordance 2360 (e.g., a back button) to display a main screen. Theselection causes the tablet to display one representation 2355 thatrepresents all albums. This representation is shown with a thumbnailcover image of the representative album.

The application of some embodiments presents a single composite image(thumbnail or larger sized image) to represent multiple images that arecaptured from an action sequence in a single burst mode operation. Oneexample of such an action sequence is a diver diving into a pool. Theaction sequence might include (1) the diver standing at the podium, (2)the diver in the air, (3) the diver entering the water and (4) the diverreappearing on the surface of the water. For such a sequence, theapplication might generate a single composite image that is created byblending together one image of the diver in each of the four stages ofthe action. Several examples of generating such a composite image willnow be described below by reference to FIGS. 24 and 25.

As mentioned above, the application of some embodiments displaysrepresentations of burst mode sequences different from otherrepresentations. Different from a still image, the burst mode sequenceis presented as a stack of images. Specifically, thumbnails of severalimages in the burst sequence are stacked on top of each other. Anynumber of thumbnails can be stacked on top of each other. In addition,the stack may begin with the first image on top, followed by the nextimage, and so forth. Alternatively, the sequence may be based onlocation. For example, the stack may begin with the first image on top,jumping to a middle image in the sequence, and a last image, or asimilar pattern depending on the number of images to show in the stackrepresentation.

In some embodiments, the stack representation is generated by selectingdominant images from a burst mode sequence. For instance, the stack maystart with the first dominant image on top, then the next dominantimage, and so forth. In some embodiments, the stack representation isgenerated based on dominance and location. For example, the imageediting application might stack images by first identifying dominantimages. When there are no remaining dominant images, the applicationselects images based on the location. As another example, the imageediting application might look for a dominant image in a section (e.g.,beginning section, middle section, end section) along the sequence, andif there are no dominant images in the section, then select a particularimage (e.g., the first image, the last image, etc.) in the section.

FIG. 24 conceptually illustrates how some embodiments generate acomposite image that features a representative image more prominentlythan other images. In this example, the representation is a stackrepresentation but can be any different type of representation, such asa book or album representation with a cover image.

The first stage 2405 illustrates that the representation 2440 has beengenerated with the first dominant picture 2425 shown on top of thestack. Specially, this stage illustrates five pictures 2415-2435 thatwere captured in a single burst mode sequence. The third image 2425 hasbeen designated as the dominant image in the burst mode sequence, whilethe remaining images 2415, 2420, 2430, and 2435 have been designated asnon-dominant images. Accordingly, the third image 2440 is shown on topof the stack representation.

In the first stage 2405, the user specifies through a touch gesture thatthe second image 2420 should also be a dominant image. As shown in thesecond stage 2410, the user specification causes the second image to bedesignated as a dominant image. The designation in turn causes a newstack representation 2445 to be generated for the burst mode sequence.Since the second image 2420 is now the first dominant image in thesequence, the stack representation 2445 has the second image 2420 at thetop of the stack, instead of the third image 2425.

FIG. 25 conceptually illustrates another example of how some embodimentsgenerate a composite image. Specifically, this figure illustrates anexample of generating a single composite image (e.g., thumbnail orlarger sized image) to represent multiple images that are captured in asingle burst mode operation.

The first stage 2505 illustrates an example composite image 2515. Thecomposite image is generated from several images 2520-2545 from thesequence. Any number of images may be used to generate the compositeimage. In some embodiments, the composite image shows thumbnailrepresentations of several of the images in the sequence. For example,the thumbnail representations can be shown in sequence starting from afirst position at the upper-left corner of the first row, moving acrossthe row to the next row, etc.

In some embodiments, the composite image 2515 is generated by selectingdominant images from a burst mode sequence. For instance, the compositemay start with the first dominant image, then the next dominant image,and so forth. In some embodiments, the composite representation isgenerated based on dominance and location. For example, the imageapplication might stack images by first identifying dominant images andif there are no remaining dominant images, selects images based on thelocation. As another example, the image application might look for adominant image in each section (e.g., beginning section, middle section,end section) along the sequence. If there are no dominant images in asection, then select one image from that section (e.g., the first photoor the first sharpest photo).

The application of some embodiments generates a composite representationthat has images that are sized differently. In some embodiments, thesize of each thumbnail is based on whether the corresponding image hasbeen designated as dominant or non-dominant, in some embodiments. Forexample, the application might select dominant images and present themlarger than other non-dominant images. This is shown in the first stage2505, as the dominant image 2535 appears larger than the remainingimages. Alternatively, the application might follow one or more presetpatterns. For example, the application may make the first selectedimage, the second selected, or some other image make to appear largerthan the remaining images. As another example, the image applicationmight look for a dominant image in a section (e.g., beginning section,middle section, end section) along the sequence, and if there are nodominant images in the section, then select a particular image (e.g.,the first image, the last image, etc.) in that section to be the largerimage in the sequence.

In the first stage 2505, the user specifies though a touch gesture thatthe second image 2525 should also be a dominant image. As shown in thesecond stage 2510, the user specification causes the second image to bedesignated as a dominant image. The designation in turn causes a newcomposite image 2550 to be generated for the burst mode sequence. Sincethe second image 2525 is now a dominant image in the sequence, the imageis featured just as prominently as the other dominant image 2535.Specially, the images 2525 and 2535 are sized the same in therepresentation 2550, while the remaining images appear smaller.

In some embodiments, the processes described above are implemented assoftware running on a particular machine, such as a computer or ahandheld device, or stored on a machine readable medium. FIG. 26conceptually illustrates the software architecture 2600 of a mediaediting application 2600 of some embodiments. In some embodiments, theapplication is a stand-alone application or is integrated into anotherapplication, while in other embodiments the application might beimplemented within an operating system. Furthermore, in someembodiments, the application is provided as part of a server-basedsolution. In some such embodiments, the application is provided via athin client. That is, the application runs on a server while a userinteracts with the application via a separate machine remote from theserver. In other such embodiments, the application is provided via athick client. That is, the application is distributed from the server tothe client machine and runs on the client machine.

The application 2600 includes a presentation generator 2610, an imageclassifier 2615, a composite image generator 2650, and a sequencebrowser component 2620. The figure also illustrates stored dataassociated with the application, including burst mode sequence lists2640 and burst mode sequence files 2645. This figure also illustrates anoperating system 2625 that includes an image capture framework 2630 forcapturing and storing pictures and videos, and user-interactioncomponents 2635 for detecting user input (e.g., touch input, voiceinput).

The present application describes a graphical user interface thatprovides users with numerous ways to perform different sets ofoperations and functionalities. In some embodiments, these operationsand functionalities are performed based on different commands that arereceived from users through different input devices (e.g., keyboard,trackpad, touchpad, mouse, etc.). For example, the present applicationillustrates the use of touch controls in the graphical user interface tocontrol (e.g., select, move) objects in the graphical user interface.However, in some embodiments, objects in the graphical user interfacecan also be controlled or manipulated through other controls, such as acursor control. In some embodiments, the touch control is implementedthrough an input device that can detect the presence and location oftouch on a display of the device. An example of such a device is a touchscreen device. In some embodiments, with touch control, a user candirectly manipulate objects by interacting with the graphical userinterface that is displayed on the display of the touch screen device.For instance, a user can select a particular object in the graphicaluser interface by simply touching that particular object on the displayof the touch screen device. As such, when touch control is utilized, acursor may not even be provided for enabling selection of an object of agraphical user interface in some embodiments. However, when a cursor isprovided in a graphical user interface, touch control can be used tocontrol the cursor in some embodiments.

As shown and described above, the media application includes a number ofcomponents to present, browse, and classify burst mode sequences. Insome embodiments, the presentation generator 2610 differently presentsimages in a burst mode sequence. For example, the presentation generatormight access a sequence list from storage 2640 and determine whichimages in the sequence are dominant images. The presentation generatorthen access sequence files from the storage and presents imagesdifferently based on the determination.

The image classifier 2615 is a component of the media application 2605that handles the classification of images. For example, the imageclassifier can be used to classify an image in a burst mode sequence aseither a dominant or a non-dominant image. The image classifier maystore the classification of each image in the sequence list, in someembodiments. Alternatively, the classification can be stored in arelated data structure or some other metadata list associated with theimage. The image classifier 2615 may also interact with theuser-interaction components to detect different user inputs (e.g., amulti-finger touch gesture on an image, a single-finger touch gesture onan affordance or marker, etc.).

The composite image generator 2650 generates a single composite image(thumbnail or larger sized image) to represent multiple images that arecaptured in a single burst mode operation. In some embodiments, thecomposite generator generates the composite image by taking into accountwhether an image is classified as a dominant or non-dominant image. Forexample, the composite image generator may feature dominant images moreprominently than non-dominant images in the composite representation.

As mentioned above, the application 2605 of some embodiments allows itsuser to browse through images in a burst mode. On devices with atouchscreen display, the application allows a person to perform a touchgesture to browse through images in a burst mode sequence. The personcan also switch from browsing burst mode images to browsing a collectionof other images by performing a different touch gesture. To facilitatesuch browsing feature, the application includes the sequence browser2620. The sequence browser 2620 may communicate with theuser-interaction components 2635 to detect different user inputs (e.g.,touch input).

One of ordinary skilled in the art would understand that mediaapplication 2605 and the OS 2625 can include many other components, andthat the architecture is a simplified one to illustrate some of thefeatures described herein. In addition, while many of the features ofthe application 2600 have been described as being performed by onemodule, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that thefunctions described herein might be split up into multiple modules.Similarly, functions described as being performed by multiple differentmodules might be performed by a single module in some embodiments.

Many of the above-described features and applications are implemented assoftware processes that are specified as a set of instructions recordedon a computer readable storage medium (also referred to as computerreadable medium). When these instructions are executed by one or morecomputational or processing unit(s) (e.g., one or more processors, coresof processors, or other processing units), they cause the processingunit(s) to perform the actions indicated in the instructions. Examplesof computer readable media include, but are not limited to, CD-ROMs,flash drives, random access memory (RAM) chips, hard drives, erasableprogrammable read-only memories (EPROMs), electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memories (EEPROMs), etc. The computer readablemedia does not include carrier waves and electronic signals passingwirelessly or over wired connections.

In this specification, the term “software” is meant to include firmwareresiding in read-only memory or applications stored in magnetic storage,which can be read into memory for processing by a processor. Inaddition, in some embodiments, multiple software inventions can beimplemented as sub-parts of a larger program while remaining distinctsoftware inventions. In some embodiments, multiple software inventionscan also be implemented as separate programs. Finally, any combinationof separate programs that together implement a software inventiondescribed here is within the scope of the invention. In someembodiments, the software programs, when installed to operate on one ormore electronic systems, define one or more specific machineimplementations that execute and perform the operations of the softwareprograms.

FIG. 27 is an example of an architecture 2700 of such a mobile computingdevice. Examples of mobile computing devices include smartphones,tablets, laptops, etc. As shown, the mobile computing device 2700includes one or more processing units 2705, a memory interface 2710 anda peripherals interface 2715.

The peripherals interface 2715 is coupled to various sensors andsubsystems, including a camera subsystem 2720, a wireless communicationsubsystem(s) 2725, an audio subsystem 2730, an I/O subsystem 2735, etc.The peripherals interface 2715 enables communication between theprocessing units 2705 and various peripherals. For example, anorientation sensor 2745 (e.g., a gyroscope) and an acceleration sensor2750 (e.g., an accelerometer) is coupled to the peripherals interface2715 to facilitate orientation and acceleration functions.

The camera subsystem 2720 is coupled to one or more optical sensors 2740(e.g., a charged coupled device (CCD) optical sensor, a complementarymetal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) optical sensor, etc.). The camerasubsystem 2720 coupled with the optical sensors 2740 facilitates camerafunctions, such as image and/or video data capturing. The wirelesscommunication subsystem 2725 serves to facilitate communicationfunctions. In some embodiments, the wireless communication subsystem2725 includes radio frequency receivers and transmitters, and opticalreceivers and transmitters (not shown in FIG. 27). These receivers andtransmitters of some embodiments are implemented to operate over one ormore communication networks such as a GSM network, a Wi-Fi network, aBluetooth network, etc. The audio subsystem 2730 is coupled to a speakerto output audio. Additionally, the audio subsystem 2730 is coupled to amicrophone to facilitate voice-enabled functions, such as voicerecognition, digital recording, etc.

The I/O subsystem 2735 involves the transfer between input/outputperipheral devices, such as a display, a touchscreen, etc., and the databus of the processing units 2705 through the peripherals interface 2715.The I/O subsystem 2735 includes a touch-screen controller 2755 and otherinput controllers 2760 to facilitate the transfer between input/outputperipheral devices and the data bus of the processing units 2705. Asshown, the touch-screen controller 2755 is coupled to a touchscreen2765. The touch-screen controller 2755 detects contact and movement onthe touchscreen 2765 using any of multiple touch sensitivitytechnologies. The other input controllers 2760 are coupled to otherinput/control devices, such as one or more buttons. Some embodimentsinclude a near-touch sensitive screen and a corresponding controllerthat can detect near-touch interactions instead of or in addition totouch interactions.

The memory interface 2710 is coupled to memory 2770. In someembodiments, the memory 2770 includes volatile memory (e.g., high-speedrandom access memory), non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory), acombination of volatile and non-volatile memory, and/or any other typeof memory. As illustrated in FIG. 27, the memory 2770 stores anoperating system (OS) 2772. The OS 2772 includes instructions forhandling basic system services and for performing hardware dependenttasks.

The memory 2770 also includes communication instructions 2774 tofacilitate communicating with one or more additional devices; graphicaluser interface instructions 2776 to facilitate graphic user interfaceprocessing; image processing instructions 2778 to facilitateimage-related processing and functions; input processing instructions2780 to facilitate input-related (e.g., touch input) processes andfunctions; audio processing instructions 2782 to facilitateaudio-related processes and functions; and camera instructions 2784 tofacilitate camera-related processes and functions. The instructionsdescribed above are merely exemplary and the memory 2770 includesadditional and/or other instructions in some embodiments. For instance,the memory for a smartphone may include phone instructions to facilitatephone-related processes and functions. The above-identified instructionsneed not be implemented as separate software programs or modules.Various functions of the mobile computing device can be implemented inhardware and/or in software, including in one or more signal processingand/or application specific integrated circuits.

While the components illustrated in FIG. 27 are shown as separatecomponents, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that two ormore components may be integrated into one or more integrated circuits.In addition, two or more components may be coupled together by one ormore communication buses or signal lines. Also, while many of thefunctions have been described as being performed by one component, oneof ordinary skill in the art will realize that the functions describedwith respect to FIG. 27 may be split into two or more integratedcircuits.

FIG. 28 conceptually illustrates another example of an electronic system2800 with which some embodiments of the invention is implemented. Theelectronic system 2800 may be a computer (e.g., a desktop computer,personal computer, tablet computer, etc.), phone, PDA, or any other sortof electronic or computing device. Such an electronic system includesvarious types of computer readable media and interfaces for variousother types of computer readable media. Electronic system 2800 includesa bus 2805, processing unit(s) 2810, a graphics processing unit (GPU)2815, a system memory 2820, a network 2825, a read-only memory 2830, apermanent storage device 2835, input devices 2840, and output devices2845.

The bus 2805 collectively represents all system, peripheral, and chipsetbuses that communicatively connect the numerous internal devices of theelectronic system 2800. For instance, the bus 2805 communicativelyconnects the processing unit(s) 2810 with the read-only memory 2830, theGPU 2815, the system memory 2820, and the permanent storage device 2835.

From these various memory units, the processing unit(s) 2810 retrievesinstructions to execute and data to process in order to execute theprocesses of the invention. The processing unit(s) may be a singleprocessor or a multi-core processor in different embodiments. Someinstructions are passed to and executed by the GPU 2815. The GPU 2815can offload various computations or complement the image processingprovided by the processing unit(s) 2810.

The read-only-memory (ROM) 2830 stores static data and instructions thatare needed by the processing unit(s) 2810 and other modules of theelectronic system. The permanent storage device 2835, on the other hand,is a read-and-write memory device. This device is a non-volatile memoryunit that stores instructions and data even when the electronic system2800 is off. Some embodiments of the invention use a mass-storage device(such as a magnetic or optical disk and its corresponding disk drive) asthe permanent storage device 2835.

Other embodiments use a removable storage device (such as a floppy disk,flash memory device, etc., and its corresponding drive) as the permanentstorage device. Like the permanent storage device 2835, the systemmemory 2820 is a read-and-write memory device. However, unlike storagedevice 2835, the system memory 2820 is a volatile read-and-write memory,such a random access memory. The system memory 2820 stores some of theinstructions and data that the processor needs at runtime. In someembodiments, the invention's processes are stored in the system memory2820, the permanent storage device 2835, and/or the read-only memory2830. For example, the various memory units include instructions forprocessing multimedia clips in accordance with some embodiments. Fromthese various memory units, the processing unit(s) 2810 retrievesinstructions to execute and data to process in order to execute theprocesses of some embodiments.

The bus 2805 also connects to the input and output devices 2840 and2845. The input devices 2840 enable the user to communicate informationand select commands to the electronic system. The input devices 2840include alphanumeric keyboards and pointing devices (also called “cursorcontrol devices”), cameras (e.g., webcams), microphones or similardevices for receiving voice commands, etc. The output devices 2845display images generated by the electronic system or otherwise outputdata. The output devices 2845 include printers and display devices, suchas cathode ray tubes (CRT) or liquid crystal displays (LCD), as well asspeakers or similar audio output devices. Some embodiments includedevices such as a touchscreen that function as both input and outputdevices.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 28, bus 2805 also couples electronic system2800 to a network 2825 through a network adapter (not shown). In thismanner, the computer can be a part of a network of computers (such as alocal area network (“LAN”), a wide area network (“WAN”), or an Intranet,or a network of networks, such as the Internet. Any or all components ofelectronic system 2800 may be used in conjunction with the invention.

Some embodiments include electronic components, such as microprocessors,storage and memory that store computer program instructions in amachine-readable or computer-readable medium (alternatively referred toas computer-readable storage media, machine-readable media, ormachine-readable storage media). Some examples of such computer-readablemedia include RAM, ROM, read-only compact discs (CD-ROM), recordablecompact discs (CD-R), rewritable compact discs (CD-RW), read-onlydigital versatile discs (e.g., DVD-ROM, dual-layer DVD-ROM), a varietyof recordable/rewritable DVDs (e.g., DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, etc.),flash memory (e.g., SD cards, mini-SD cards, micro-SD cards, etc.),magnetic and/or solid state hard drives, read-only and recordableBlu-Ray® discs, ultra density optical discs, any other optical ormagnetic media, and floppy disks. The computer-readable media may storea computer program that is executable by at least one processing unitand includes sets of instructions for performing various operations.Examples of computer programs or computer code include machine code,such as is produced by a compiler, and files including higher-level codethat are executed by a computer, an electronic component, or amicroprocessor using an interpreter.

While the above discussion primarily refers to microprocessor ormulti-core processors that execute software, some embodiments areperformed by one or more integrated circuits, such as applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASICs) or field programmable gate arrays(FPGAs). In some embodiments, such integrated circuits executeinstructions that are stored on the circuit itself. In addition, someembodiments execute software stored in programmable logic devices(PLDs), ROM, or RAM devices.

As used in this specification and any claims of this application, theterms “computer”, “server”, “processor”, and “memory” all refer toelectronic or other technological devices. These terms exclude people orgroups of people. For the purposes of the specification, the termsdisplay or displaying means displaying on an electronic device. As usedin this specification and any claims of this application, the terms“computer readable medium,” “computer readable media,” and “machinereadable medium” are entirely restricted to tangible, physical objectsthat store information in a form that is readable by a computer. Theseterms exclude any wireless signals, wired download signals, and anyother ephemeral signals.

While the invention has been described with reference to numerousspecific details, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatthe invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit of the invention. For instance, many of the figuresillustrate various touch gestures (e.g., taps, double taps, swipegestures, press and hold gestures etc.). However, many of theillustrated operations could be performed via different touch gestures(e.g., a swipe instead of a tap, etc.) or by non-touch input (e.g.,using a cursor controller, a keyboard, a touchpad/trackpad, a near-touchsensitive screen, etc.). In addition, a number of the figures (includingFIGS. 11 and 21) conceptually illustrate processes. The specificoperations of these processes may not be performed in the exact ordershown and described. The specific operations may not be performed in onecontinuous series of operations, and different specific operations maybe performed in different embodiments. Furthermore, the process could beimplemented using several sub-processes, or as part of a larger macroprocess. Thus, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand thatthe invention is not to be limited by the foregoing illustrativedetails, but rather is to be defined by the appended claims.

While the invention has been described with reference to numerousspecific details, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatthe invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit of the invention. For example, one of ordinary skill inthe art will understand that many of the UI items of in FIGS. 1-10,20-20, 22, and 23) can also be activated and/or set by a cursor controldevice (e.g., a mouse or trackball), a stylus, keyboard, a fingergesture (e.g., placing, pointing, tapping one or more fingers) near anear-touch sensitive screen, or any other control system in someembodiments. Thus, one of ordinary skill in the art would understandthat the invention is not to be limited by the foregoing illustrativedetails, but rather is to be defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of presenting images captured during asingle burst mode capture, the method comprising: capturing a pluralityof images in a single burst mode capture; designating a set of thecaptured images as dominant images; and presenting the set of dominantimages different from each other non-dominant image in a presentation ofthe images captured during the single burst mode capture.